Defenders of Wildlife
About
Defenders of Wildlife is a animal welfare organization based in WASHINGTON, United States. Annual revenue: $43.2 million. 3% of spending goes directly to programs. EIN: 530183181.
Habitat and species protection.
Focus & reach
Verification & registration
Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.
Integrity assessment
A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →
Financials
IRS Form 990Leadership at a glance
Official filingsSimilar charities
GiveRadar Intelligence
GiveRadar Analysis
From what GiveRadar has verified so far, Defenders of Wildlife has a complete profile, cross-referenced across 4 independent sources including the IRS.
- Established in 1947, it is among the oldest animal welfare charities in the United States GiveRadar tracks. View this cohort
- It is one of the better-documented animal welfare charities in the United States GiveRadar currently tracks, because GiveRadar has verified its financial disclosures and its governance. Most of those have little verified data on record yet. View this cohort
- By reported annual revenue, it is larger than 98% of the 16,157 animal welfare charities in the United States with financial records on GiveRadar. See the filings
- government registration
- financial records (6 filed years)
- disclosed leadership
- a website
- a contact email
- third-party accreditation
Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.
Filing history
6 years on file from IRS Form 990: revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.
See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.
Sign up to viewTax deductibility
Whether a gift to Defenders of Wildlife lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United States under local rules. Confirm with the charity directly.
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE is registered in United States. Donations from the Netherlands to charities outside the EU/EEA are generally not tax-deductible for Dutch donors unless the charity is listed on the Dutch ANBI register with foreign-recognized status.
This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.
Staff & volunteers
Leadership & board
Official filingsBoard members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.
25 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.
No red flags detected
Timeline
From official filingsKey dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.
In the news
No recent news coverage found
News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.
How it stacks up against peers
Compared with 5 similar animal welfare charities in United States.
Cause areas in United States
Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.
Sources and verification
- Officers and trustees
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Tax Exempt Organization Search · 141 disclosed in the public registry.
What we know and don't know
Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.
Data freshness
How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.
Methodology
GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.
Read full methodologyIf you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.
Frequently asked questions about Defenders of Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife is a registered animal welfare nonprofit based in Washington, DC, United States. It is registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It was founded in 1947 and has been operating for 79 years. Its EIN is 530183181. According to GiveRadar's records, it holds active tax-deductible status on the IRS Publication 78 list, which means donations are tax-deductible and the organization is in good standing with the IRS. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 90/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports $49M in annual revenue. 141 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected.
Defenders of Wildlife's President & CEO, Andrew Bowman, received $568,764 in reported compensation in its most recent filing (2025). This figure comes straight from the organization's official filing and covers salary plus other reportable pay. Executive pay generally scales with the size and complexity of a nonprofit, so it is best read alongside the organization's revenue and what it does.
Based on official filings, Defenders of Wildlife has $49M in annual revenue. It allocates 71% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 85% for animal welfare charities in United States. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of $1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.
Defenders of Wildlife is a animal welfare organization based in WASHINGTON, United States. Annual revenue: $43.2 million. 3% of spending goes directly to programs. EIN: 530183181. Defenders of Wildlife is classified as an animal welfare organization registered in United States. The organization was founded in 1947.
Defenders of Wildlife is classified as an Animal Welfare organization, registered in United States. It operates as a Supporting organization (509(a)(3)). By size, it is categorized as a large organization. It has $49M in annual revenue. The organization has 141 disclosed officers and directors.
Defenders of Wildlife's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 530183181. This is the organization's IRS tax identification number; you can use it to verify tax-exempt status and to look up its Form 990 filings with the IRS.
Defenders of Wildlife is located in Washington, DC, United States. The organization was established in 1947 and has been active for 79 years.
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Quick facts about Defenders of Wildlife
- What is Defenders of Wildlife?
- Defenders of Wildlife is a animal welfare supporting organization (509(a)(3)) based in Washington, United States. Defenders of Wildlife is a animal welfare organization based in WASHINGTON, United States. Annual revenue: $43.2 million. 3% of spending goes directly to programs. EIN: 530183181.
- When was Defenders of Wildlife founded?
- Defenders of Wildlife was founded in 1947.
- Who leads Defenders of Wildlife?
- Andrew Bowman serves as President & CEO.
- Where is Defenders of Wildlife located?
- Headquartered in Washington, DC, United States.
- What is Defenders of Wildlife's annual budget?
- Annual revenue for fiscal year 2025 is $48.6 million. 71% of expenses go to program services.
- Is Defenders of Wildlife trustworthy?
- Defenders of Wildlife has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 90 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
- What is Defenders of Wildlife's registration number?
- IRS EIN: 530183181.
- What is Defenders of Wildlife's website?
- http://www.defenders.org